I had never had a carrot ring before – and never had heard of one either – until my mother-in-law made one a few weeks ago. It was so beautiful and as soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to have to make this for myself.

I could visibly see the shredded bits of carrots packed into the cake and it smelled divine. She served this masterpiece as a side dish for a Friday night dinner with our family. I found that the carrot ring tasted slightly sweet, slightly savory, and overall, was quite delicious.

My mother-in-law sent me the recipe, which she got from a friend and had fiddled with herself. I proceeded to make it with my trusty Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. I’m a bit addicted to this gluten-free flour blend because it has yet to let me down. It measures equally, by volume, in any recipe that calls for wheat flour. So the original carrot ring recipe called for wheat flour, but I simply used the Bob’s 1-to-1 flour instead. I’m pretty sure no one would even know the difference in taste (or maybe they’d like the gluten-free carrot ring recipe more because it’s really THAT good).

In addition to the Bob’s 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, in order to make this gluten-free carrot ring recipe, you also need a ring mold pan. I found one on Amazon that was inexpensive. I knew I would get good use out of the pan, so I wanted to have it. I think you could use a bundt pan, instead, as an option (I have not tried that though, so if you do it that way, please take a picture and let me know how it turns out). Here’s what the carrot ring looks like in the ring mold pan.

Before you add the batter to the ring mold pan, please please please make sure you grease it well. You don’t want any unfortunate sticky incidents! You also should allow the carrot ring plenty of time to cool before removing it from the pan. In all honestly, I had a little trouble getting the carrot ring out of the pan. I spent a few minutes patiently sliding a butter knife along all the outer and inner edges to wiggle it loose, praying that I wouldn’t have to make a second one in order to get a good photo of it. It eventually came loose without damaging the beautiful carrot ring – whew!

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Of course, if you want to make this gluten-free carrot ring recipe, you first have to make the batter. It’s very easy to do… simply add shredded carrots to the all the other ingredients, mix together well, and then add the batter evenly to the ring mold pan.

I decided to wait to make the savory filling until I was ready to serve it (for dinner) and it had fully cooled in my fridge.

Once cooled and about 20 minutes before dinner, I sauteed sliced portobello mushrooms and then mixed them together with warm green peas. I also added a little Kosher salt and pepper to the vegetable mixture for added flavor. I then placed the savory vegetables in the middle of the carrot ring. It looked GORGEOUS… almost too pretty to eat!

Oh, and just look at those healthy, naturally sweet carrot bits protruding from the cake!!

If you’re looking for a different-yet-festive dish to serve at any of your holiday meals this year, I hope you’ll consider trying this delicious gluten-free carrot ring recipe. No one has to know you used your Bob’s gluten-free flour, do they? Oh, and you also can bring this dish to any holiday potluck… just be ready to be the center of attention for your mad baking skills, and, of course, have the recipe ready to share!

Gluten-Free Carrot Ring

November 15, 2017

This carrot ring makes a festive addition to your holiday meals. It's slightly sweet, slightly savory. The cake is dense and filling. Make one ring and easily serve your entire dinner party. I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, which measures cup for cup with wheat flour. This recipe is courtesy of my mother-in-law, who made this one night and I loved it so much so I made it too!

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 45 mins

15 mins

45 mins

1 hr

Yields: 12-16 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

2 cups grated carrots (about 4 medium/large carrots)

1 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. avocado oil

12 oz. portobello mushrooms, sliced

8 oz. frozen peas, cooked as instructed on bag

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a round mold pan well with cooking spray or oil. Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Cream together butter and brown sugar in your standing mixer - about 1 minute or until well combined.

Add to butter-sugar mixture the egg, carrots and water and mix on low until well combined.

Add batter to greased mold pan and bake in oven for about 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow carrot ring to fully cool, then flip it onto a round serving dish. If the carrot ring is stuck, you can use your knife to gently loosen the cake from the side of the mold. Be gentle!